Congress is considering a bill that would bar children who use computers in public libraries from accessing Facebook and other social networking websites without parental permission. Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, the Illinois Republican who sponsored the measure, says the proposal would keep sexual predators from contacting minors who are using a library computer.
EFF Praises Yahoo for Refunds on Music Service
Yahoo Music earned kudos from one of the Web's most outspoken advocacy groups. The music service, which has opted to get out of music retail and subscription services, is offering to reimburse customers who bought music from Yahoo Music Unlimited.
Airlines Warn Customers About Phony E-mails
Northwest Airlines Corp., Midwest Air Group Inc. separately warned customers who use e-mail that phony e-mail ticket confirmations are being sent using the airlines' names. The emails thank the recipients for using the "Buy flight ticket Online" service, provide an account number and password, and indicate a credit-card charge, they said.
NYPD Officer Loses Badge After Video on YouTube
A New York City police officer was stripped of his gun and badge after a video posted on YouTube showed him allegedly body-checking a bicyclist during the Critical Mass bicycle ride, according to an Associated Press report. The video shows bicyclists whizzing past uniformed officers during the Times Square protest.
San Francisco Discloses Passwords in Court Filing
Only days after the city of San Francisco regained control of its computer network after an alleged hijacking, a new vulnerability has come to light--this time brought on by the city itself. The San Francisco district attorney's office has apparently made public nearly 150 usernames and passwords used by city officials to gain access to the city's network.
Net-Code Exploit Circulating Online, Experts Say
Attack code that exploits flaws in the net's addressing system are starting to circulate online, say security experts. The code could be a boon to phishing gangs who redirect web users to fake bank sites and steal login details.
FCC Members Vote in Favor of Punishment for Comcast
A majority of members of the Federal Communications Commission have cast votes in favor of punishing Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic, an agency official said. Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, was accused of violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet.
Bill Would Create Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would allow the U.S. Attorney General to bring civil actions against Americans that violate copyrights. The bill, the "Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008", was scheduled to be introduced, according to Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who authored the bill along with Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).
Software Industry Group Considering Lawsuit Against eBay
The Software and Information Industry Association, a Washington, D.C., trade association that counts companies such as Intuit, Sun Microsystems, and Red Hat as board members, said on Thursday that it's contemplating a lawsuit against eBay. Another option, the group said, would be lobbying Congress to rewrite the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and make online auctioneers liable for what's sold.
Italy to Charge Google Over Video of Taunted Teen
Google is to face criminal charges in Italy over a video which appeared on one of its sites showing a disabled teenager being taunted by his peers. Italian prosecutors have indicated that they will press charges against four Google executives over a video which was posted on one of the search giant's Italian sites in 2006, which showed four youths making fun of a disabled teenager in a classroom in the northern city of Turin.
ISP Embarq Says It Conducted Targeted Advertising Test
Regional Internet company Embarq told lawmakers that it notified 26,000 high-speed Internet customers in Kansas that it was conducting a targeted advertising test based on their "anonymous" Web-surfing behavior and offered them the ability to opt out. Embarq posted a notice in its privacy policy on its corporate Web site more than two weeks before the controversial test was conducted earlier this year, company officials wrote in two letters to leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Redlasso Stops Video Search Services After Lawsuit
News video-sharing site Redlasso said it will suspend its video search and clipping service for bloggers as it defends against a copyright infringement lawsuit filed this week by NBC and Fox News Channel. It will continue to run a business-targeted service that lets clients track and clip content for internal use and a service for radio stations that lets them upload their clips for online sharing.
"Spam King" Killed Wife, Daughter, Self, Officials Say
A convicted spammer fatally shot his wife and young daughter in an apparent murder-suicide while being sought after escaping prison, authorities said. The bodies of "Spam King" Edward "Eddie" Davidson, his wife and 3-year-old daughter were found in an SUV parked in a farmhouse driveway in a rural part of Bennett, about 25 miles east of Denver.
Hasbro Sues "Scrabulous," Notifies Facebook
Hasbro has sued the creators of the electronic game "Scrabulous," saying it infringes on the property rights of their game "Scrabble." The toy and games company said it also notified the operators of the website Facebook of the copyright infringement suit and asked them to quit hosting the Scrabulous game as soon as possible.
British Court Rules for Facebook Profile Victim
A businessman whose personal details were "laid bare" in fake entries on the Facebook social networking website has won a libel case at the High Court. Mathew Firsht was awarded £22,000 in damages against an old school friend, Grant Raphael, who created the profile.
British ISPs, Music Industry Working Against Piracy
Six of the UK's biggest net providers have agreed a plan with the music industry to tackle piracy online. The deal, negotiated by the government, will see hundreds of thousands of letters sent to net users suspected of illegally sharing music.
Banks Mislead Net Customers on Security, Study Says
Many banks are unwittingly training their online customers to take risks with their passwords and other sensitive account information, leaving them more vulnerable to fraud, new research shows. That's the conclusion by University of Michigan researchers who found design flaws in 76 percent of the 214 U.S. financial institution Web sites they studied.
Author's Estate Wins Dispute Over "narnia" Domain Name
An Edinburgh couple have lost a battle with the estate of Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis over a web domain name. Richard Saville-Smith said he paid £70 for the name www.narnia.mobi so his son Comrie, 11, who is a CS Lewis fan, could use it for his e-mail address.
TorrentSpy Accuses MPAA of Using Data from Hacker
TorrentSpy may be gone but its attorneys continue to allege in court that the motion picture industry engaged in a spying campaign against the company as well as others, including the Pirate Bay. TorrentSpy, a BitTorrent search engine that was driven out of business last March as a result of fighting a copyright suit filed by the Motion Picture Association of America, is seeking another chance to argue that the MPAA wronged the company when it purchased information obtained from a hacker who had pilfered company e-mail.
Record Labels Seek Ruling Against LimeWire
Thirteen record labels have asked a judge to issue a decision in a 2-year-old case against peer-to-peer software company Lime Wire for allegedly inducing copyright violations of music files.The record labels, including Warner Bros. Records, Sony Records, and Virgin Records, are asking the judge for a decision because they claim Lime Wire has "promoted infringement," and has taken no steps to prevent illegal file trading, among other complaints.
